Court sacks Akwa Ibom PDP governorship candidate

Michael Enoyong, the Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate who just emerged as the governorship candidate as a result of a court order obtained by a Federal High Court, has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja.

Once Enoyong was removed from office, the court ruled that Pastor Umo Eno, who had previously won the party's primary, should have his mandate reinstated.

In addition, the court mandated that Enyong pay the appellant N1 million in costs.

On January 20, 2023, a Federal High Court issued an order ratifying Enyong, who reportedly won the party's nomination in a factional primary held by some statutory party delegates at Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo.

The PDP immediately filed an appeal after rejecting the order in Akwa Ibom and at the federal level. The Court of Appeal in Abuja issued its ruling on Tuesday.

The Federal High Court's decision was overturned by the court in the judgment written by Judge Hamma Barka because it was founded on mistakes.

Justice Barka concurred with Mr. Paul Usoro SAN and Uwemedimo Nwoko, attorneys for the PDP, that the Federal High Court judgment was rendered incorrectly and that the plaintiff in the case misled the court to reach an unjust conclusion, particularly with regard to the use of statutory delegates that the party had disqualified from the process.

The judge held, “The issue of statutory delegates who voted at the primary election is an internal affair of the party and that the lower court ought not to have inquired into the issue.”

In light of this, the court dismissed Enyong during his brief tenure as the PDP's candidate for governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Source